The signs are everywhere telling us to recycle, but Keith Thorsteinson says not everyone is buying in — and the environment is paying the price.

Thorsteinson deals in vintage auto parts. On a regular basis he is visited by about 25 people who collect beer cans and bottles that have been tossed in ditches, campgrounds or city boulevards.

These "pickers" also come across the occasional wheel cover, which they'll bring to Thorsteinson, who buys and resells them.

In the past few years, Thorsteinson says there is a growing number of vendors who are refusing to accept "ditch bottles" or crushed beer cans.

"There are a lot of seniors who go around and pick this stuff up and bring it in for the refund. Now it's about 35% of what they're coming across that no longer qualifies — and it's lingering out there," Thorsteinson estimated. "You've got these flattened cans blowing around playgrounds."

"Part of the reason they don't want to accept crushed cans is because it's hard to calibrate how many crushed cans are in the bag," Thorsteinson said. "But they've been able to deal with it for all these years. Now all of a sudden they can't.

"The people who are cleaning this stuff up, they're not the kind of people who are going to pick up the phone (to complain)."

Thorsteinson tells stories of one vendor where "John the bottle Nazi" turns pickers away at the door. Others have put up signs stating they won't accept crushed cans.

"I know of one fellow who had his daughters clean up a campground, but because they were considered too dirty, he walked back out with his bag of recycling," he said. "Now what does he do with them?"

On the other hand, there are a few "good corporate citizens in Winnipeg" who accept all beer cans, he said, "but I'm scared to mention their names because then all the can pickers will be taking them to one place."

Thorsteinson has heard of vendors complaining of hypodermic needles and syringes found in cans that were tossed by drug users.

Can't say I blame the vendors if that's the case. I wouldn't want to risk putting my hand into something like that either.

But Thorsteinson feels some are just using that as an excuse to keep street people from entering their business.

"It gives the homeless something to do other than panhandle," he said. "They're contributing to society instead of chasing you in your BMW with a dirty squeegee.

"It's one of the only things where they can go out and make a few dollars to go buy a hamburger or go buy a pair of shoes at the goodwill. It takes a long time (to collect 144 cans). These guys aren't even making a buck an hour and they want to take that away from them."

"We have a duty to recycle cans and bottles," Marks said. "The discretion is only if there is no way to identify what it actually was or is ... ultimately this product has to be handled by a number of people before it gets recycled."

Marks noted there are some vendors they have a "few more challenges with," without identifying them, but said the majority of cans and bottles are being recycled.

Running on empties

Some vendors turning away about 35% of returns, causing problems for less fortunate

The signs are everywhere telling us to recycle, but Keith Thorsteinson says not everyone is buying in — and the environment is paying the price.

Thorsteinson deals in vintage auto parts. On a regular basis he is visited by about 25 people who collect beer cans and bottles that have been tossed in ditches, campgrounds or city boulevards.

These "pickers" also come across the occasional wheel cover, which they'll bring to Thorsteinson, who buys and resells them.

In the past few years, Thorsteinson says there is a growing number of vendors who are refusing to accept "ditch bottles" or crushed beer cans.

"There are a lot of seniors who go around and pick this stuff up and bring it in for the refund. Now it's about 35% of what they're coming across that no longer qualifies — and it's lingering out there," Thorsteinson estimated. "You've got these flattened cans blowing around playgrounds."